Steel and Shadows
by kkrraakk
Summary: An assassin stowing away on the King and Queen's ship foils a pirate raid and gains their trust; they witness his powers, and ask him to teach Elsa. Shortly thereafter, a storm wrecks the ship leaving him with only a letter from the King and Queen, his honor, and his conscience. He heads to Arendelle to start a new life. What will happen? His past certainly isn't in the past now...
1. Chapter 1- The Arrival of the Night Sky

**A/N: Reboot of Winter Lightning- I hit a brick wall covered in spikes with that story, and I can tell that my muse for it packed up and left. So, taking what I think were my best ideas from the previous story, may I present to you:**

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**Steel and Shadows**

_Chapter 1: The arrival of the Night Sky_

I arrived in Arendelle on a trader's ship, soaked to the bone from the gale we went through. Unlike the others who were soaked, I was not one who had been working on the deck or in the rigging; no, I had been on the ship in a more… clandestine fashion.

Ah, well, I was a stowaway. Not the usual type, I would say. I didn't hide out in the cargo hold or inside a crate (although I've done both)- I had anchored myself to the hull, just below the waterline, and had ridden the boat like a barnacle for days. People would say I'm crazy; they are most likely correct, considering my line of work, and what I was coming to Arendelle for.

Let me shed some light on this situation, hmm? My name is Noctis Caelum, sorcerer and world renowned assassin, at your service. Most would jump to the conclusion that I was in Arendelle for a contract- to kill someone. They would be half wrong. I was indeed here for a contract, but not a usual one; in fact, it was a very odd request, and a posthumous one at that.

**Steel and Shadows**

Three months ago, I was a stowaway on another merchant ship, much like this one. That time, though, the trip was in weeks, and even my constitution couldn't go that long without food or drink. That time, I had simply hidden in a crate filled with clothing- easy to move, semi-comfortable, and I could stack the clothes atop myself so the crate looked full. Food wasn't a problem- I am very hard to see if I feel like it, and this cargo ship had some influential passengers onboard- so much so that the galley was stocked for months, not two weeks. It was about halfway through the trip when the ship shuddered, pulling me from my half-sleep. At first I thought it a storm, but then the sound repeated itself- cannonfire.

I'm an assassin, not a sailor, but I can curse if I feel like it and right then I let out a stream of invective. Pirates could easily take this ship- the guardsmen posted here, while numerous, were not used to sea combat and would fall quickly. And with the VIP's onboard, all cargo would be gone through to see if any surprises were about.

Like me.

At this point, I had two choices, and I liked neither. First, I could hide in the crate until the pirates won and try to parlay with them- probably end up with me overboard. Second, I could use my not-inconsiderable skills to repel them, and likely end up arrested for either witchcraft or my job- I was well known for my style of fighting, and I was currently in my 'work clothes'.

After thinking a moment, I decided the second option was the one to go with; at worst, I lived longer and had a chance to escape. At best, I could be let go for offering assistance.

Option two it is. Time to get moving. Standing up and dislodging the piles of clothing atop myself, I give my gear a once-over to make sure I had everything. Wrist-bow? Check, twenty small bolts, ten specials. Flash powder? Check, fifty caps. Two rolls of copper monofilament wire? Check. Armored vest and cloak? Check, sitting nicely on my back and buckled on. Throwing knives? Check, six on each arm under the sleeves and four on each leg, more in storage pouch in my armored vest. Sword? No, had to leave it at home- too long to keep in the crate. Dagger? Double check, grabbed two to compensate for the lack of a proper sword.

Mask?

Well, check, but I was considering not wearing it. My identity was precious; despite the best efforts of entire kingdoms, I was still just the Black Wraith- named for my garb and tendency to simply vanish when I wished, so this was a big thing. I could be seen as just a well-armed stowaway if I was _very_ lucky and left the mask off, but if I kept it on and fought? Well, my rep is big, and that's not ego-stroking.

With a sigh, I make my decision and place the mask on my face with difficulty. It clips to small metallic rings inside the hood of my cloak with hidden catches; nobodies gonna grab it off my face- it's worth the pain it is to put on. It's a matte black featureless mask- not even eyeholes are visible. The glass used is a volcanic oddity that lets light in but not out, and so I could see out but they can't see my eyes, just a blank killing machine. Great for intimidation.

Suitably presentable, I brace myself and listen for the sounds of on-deck fighting to begin. If I go out now, before boarders arrive, I could be shot on sight, being a shadowy figure and all. I don't have to wait long; five minutes and four cannon impacts later, the boson's bellow of "REPEL BOARDERS!" hits my ears, and I kick the door open, dagger in my right hand.

Showtime.

**Steel and Shadows**

I held my wife close as the pirates swung aboard from their ship, while others climbed grapple lines thrown even as I watched. I felt helpless- I could fight, but I was unused to the sway of the deck and I was years out of practice- ruling a kingdom would do that to you. I watched as the encroaching brutes cut through the lines of guardsmen like a scythe through wheat, and I knew we were lost; they had near our numbers, and for every one the guard took down, the pirated butchered three. It was no contest. In no time, they breached the line and a brute of a man stood over me, scowling. I opened my mouth to beg parlay, not that it would amount to much, but as I saw his eyes widen in recognition, I knew it was a lost cause.

He knew who I was, and who my wife was by extension. This meant that this raid was planned;

It meant I was about to die.

His sword swung towards me in slow motion, my mind speeding franticly to find a way out of this, to no avail. All I could do was angle myself to better cover my wife, in the hopes that they might let her live. I closed my eyes, fully expecting to feel cold steel slicing a deadly path through my chest.

Instead, I felt a rush of air and heard a loud clang as something blocked the attack. Opening my eyes, I saw the one figure I never wanted to see until then- the Wraith.

With a twist of his short blade, he made the pirate overextend, and as he stumbled forwards the black-cloaked figure reached around, grabbed his neck and twisted, an ugly crack sounding as he broke the man's neck. Dropping the twitching body, he turned to me. I felt my heart stop- was he here for me, and just stopped the pirate from stealing his contract?

It seemed not; he simply gave me a nod and sprinted off, tossing a dagger here and there into the chaos, each one a deathblow to the neck or heart. I watched him… work... in amazement. He was, single handedly, stopping a pirate attack.

**Steel and Shadows**

I felt a bit better about my chances after saving the king's life like that; it had probably earned me a bit of leniency. Still, the hard part was still to come- the pirates still numbered in the dozens, and in moving across the deck I used all my throwing knives. Despite being out of that readily accessible option, I allowed myself a small smirk- all twenty had struck home; I wasn't losing my touch. Fending off a pair of pirates swinging gaffing hooks, I grab one and break his arm before slamming his head into his fellows, dazing them both and tossing them over the side. Reassessing the situation, I heave a sigh. I would have to use my powers, no two ways about it. The guards and friendly sailors were fighting back, yes, but they were falling too fast for me to be able to kill off the pirates while they defended the royals.

Sheathing my daggers, I pull my power to the surface of my mind, wrapping myself in blackness as I sink into the shadow of the mainmast.

Being one with the shadows around you is a unique and disorienting experience until you get used to it; luckily I was. Every flickering patch of shadow was a window to see out, every silhouette a doorway. I sat there, my power feeding me the sensations and vision from the ship. I wasn't going to blip from shadow to shadow; that would exhaust me quickly and allow too many openings to counterattack.

No, I was planning something I hadn't done in a LONG time; a mass assassination. My method of fighting was to hit and run, dashing from room to room, rafter to rafter in silence, kill the target silently, and leave.

This was showy, loud and slow- the opposite of my usual MO, but that made it all the more unexpected. It would nearly exhaust me, but it would end the threat in one swoop. Focusing, I isolate the shadows of the pirates, holding them in my mind's eye as I pulled power form my core, the icy heat of my magic a river through my veins. With a snap, my hidden eyes open and all hell breaks loose.

**Steel and Shadows**

I watched the Wraith toss two men overboard, worried. Even with his help, and I was still not convinced that it was help at all, we were losing badly. We needed a miracle! Oh, if only she was here, her power could-

Wait, did he just TURN TO SHADOW AND SINK INTO THE SHIP!?

I admit, I froze up at that. It's not every day that you see someone perform magic, even if your daughter could do magic as well. Plus hers was as different from his as night and day.

I also admit, and freely, that I screamed- and loudly- at what happened next.

The shadows of _every pirate_ stood up, became three-dimensional. Fighting stopped- the pirates in shock, confusion and fear, and the guards stopped too, thinking it was a final trick of the pirate's.

The pirates were right; they should have been afraid. The shadow-men moved, and began to swing their swords, cutting flesh like real steel would. Dozens of pirates dropped in seconds, and the rest fell quickly as well, even if they retaliated. I watched one pirate ignore his shadow for a moment and swing at his neighbors, slicing clean through the hips, neatly bisecting it- it dropped flat to the ground, back to normal.

The man it was attached to, though, wasn't; a look of horror was plastered across his face as he hit the deck in two parts, a wound identical to his shadow's appearing instantly.

With this happening, the attack ended in only a few scant minutes of fighting, the pirates killed to a man, with the exception of those still on the enemy ship- they just disengaged and shot out of there like a bat out of hell. I honestly didn't blame them. Looking around to see if the Wraith had shown up again, I was surprised when I saw him emerge from behind the main mast where he had disappeared. He was hunched over, seemingly out of breath and seemed unsteady. After a few moments, though, he seemed to recover and strode over to me. The surviving guards saw him, and rapidly moved to block him from reaching us. He let out a small sound of annoyance, and disappeared. Just like that! In the space between moments, he was gone, no trace.

**Steel and Shadows**

When I emerged from the shadow-world, I was exhausted. Manipulating shadows like that was a real pain, and I could feel my migraine building already. Risking a few moments to catch my breath, I straighten, feeling a bit better. I glance around, meeting the king's gaze. Well, might as well face the music. I make my way over to him, walking at an unhurried pace so as not to invite panic.

Well, the guards seemed to think it was scary enough, for before I made it ten feet closer to the monarchs, I was faced with a wall of bristling steel. A small scoff of derision escaped me as I simply pulled my power to me, the world appearing to stretch a bit as I used my magic to bend space. To them, I disappeared. To me, I jumped forward the remaining distance to the rigging just above the monarchs, gripping the ropes as I appeared. I watch the guards look about in a panic, probably thinking I was going to murder them all or something. I shook my head and spoke in a conversational tone to the king and queen, startling them something fierce.

"Well, I hope that saving all of our hides doesn't mean I have to hide the rest of the trip, now."

The leader of the guards heard me- a giant of a man, a good head taller than me, and that was saying something as I stood a respectable 6' 6"- fairly tall. He swiveled in place ad froze, seeing as I was right above those he was supposed to protect. Before he could yell or demand that I surrender, the king spoke.

"W-well, I guess I must thank you for rescuing us, but circumstances are odd after all. Please, are you really this… Wraith person?"

All eyes are on me now, and I can tell ya- that's a new thing for a guy used to living in shadows his whole life. Composing myself as best I could, I nod and address them.

"Yes. Don't worry; I'm not here for a contract. I must admit to stowing away aboard, though. I was in a crate in the hold when we were attacked, and I felt the need to assist- looks like I made the right call."

The guard captain broke in at this. "Yeah, thanks for all that, but it still don't let you off the hook. Come down from there, you're under arrest for assassination charges! I don't have the list, but fill it in for yourself; you know what you've done."

I shake my head. "I hope I don't really have to. I would much rather we all finish this journey peaceably, and I just leave when we arrive in port. You couldn't hold me, anyway- no prison could. Your only options are to kill me- not a good option, as you saw what I did to the pirates- or ignore me. I prefer the second option."

I admit, I enjoyed his face going white at the reminder of the pirates. Before he could offer a rejoinder, the king broke in with some unexpected, but welcome words.

"Captain, please let the man be in peace. I know his reputation, but I know something you don't about him- he has a strict sense of honor." Turning to me, he holds his hand out. "Wraith, I offer you passage to our next port of call if you give me your word that you mean us no harm."

He had certainly done his research better than his guard captain. I had a history of never breaking a deal, and honoring my word even if breaking it would have saved me trouble. I also had a reputation of killing- brutally, I might add- those who double crossed me, and I could see the king knew that, too. This was a major olive branch from him; I had to accept. Clasping his hand, I respond in kind. "You have my word, my King. Additionally, I offer you this; for as long as I live, I will accept no contract on you and your line, as thanks for offering me the safe passage."

This was a big deal. Assassins made their money- their livelihood- on high-profile killings. By cutting the Arendelle royal family out of my potential pool of targets, I had significantly curtailed my possible cash-flow. It may not have sounded like much, but it was a big deal.

The king's eyes went wide, and I could see that he understood. I glimpsed a glimmer of something else, but it was gone swiftly as we shook on it. Hopping down from the rigging, I strode through the guards and up to the fore-deck, ignoring the bodies lying about. Seating myself of a large crate lashed in place, I took a lotus position and focused on locking my body in place for the moment. Satisfied that nothing short of the crate being thrown overboard could move me, I allowed my exhaustion to take over, and I promptly fell asleep.

**Steel and Shadows**

I awoke feeling better, if only a bit. My mental clock said I had gotten a bit over three hour's rest, and I opened my eyes to see what had triggered my awakening instinct. A curious sailor was hanging, upside down, from the rigging and seemed to be trying to see through my mask. His buddies were egging him on, and the volume was loud enough that I deduced that they had been at this for a while. They were trying to get him to grab my mask- that's what triggered my wakefulness. Being able to set triggers in your mind to wake you at certain phrases was a helpful thing. I sat there, waiting to see what he would do. I hadn't moved, so they didn't know I was awake now. Slowly, he reached over to my face, approaching my mask. When his fingers were about a half inch away, I pulled my shadows across myself and sunk into the deck, reappearing in the rigging above him. The crowd below gasped- they saw where I had reappeared. The grabby guy? He was in for a surprise.

"Oh god- where did he go?! Oh my god, he's gonna kill me!"

Unable to resist, I lean down and speak, just behind his head.

"No, I'm not."

He shrieked like a small child, to my and the other sailor's great amusement. Pulling my power into a 'blink'- a short jump in space- I reappear next to my crate and walk to the main area of the ship, my stomach demanding I eat something. The cook gave me an odd look, but served me up a good helping of everything, no complaints. Now, my only problem was in finding a place to eat without showing my face.

My answer to that came in the form of the king walking in for food himself.

"Ah, Mister Wraith! I was hoping you would be aware around now. Would you care to dine with my wife and I? With your promise, I hope you would trust us with your face."

Normally, I still wouldn't, but something told me this was important and that I should.

The last time I ignored that feeling was the first, and only time I failed a contract- it was also the closest I have ever come to dying. So, nodding my head in acceptance and ignoring his look of half startlement and half excitement, I followed him below decks.

We arrived at their cabin, the king entering and gesturing me ahead. I see the queen is already seated, and she favors me with a small, nervous smile. Placing our plates on the small table, I begin the laborious task of detaching my mask. Five minutes of clicking later, it comes off and the looks from the royals are worth it.

I'm young. Very young for a profession like being an assassin, let alone one with as large a reputation as mine. I'm around twenty to twenty-three years of age, I don't know exactly- my childhood was… not the most stable.

Laying my mask aside, I give them a smile. "Well, now that that chore is out of the way, may I ask what brought on this invitation to dinner? Not that I'm not grateful, I must say. I wasn't looking forward to finding a hiding spot on this small a ship just to eat!"

This elicits a chuckle from both royals. The queen speaks next, the first time I've heard her talk. Her voice is soft and melodious, perfect for singing. "Well, we were hoping to talk something over with you. A business proposal of sorts."

This made me raise an eyebrow. I was not expecting a contract offer from these royals at all- I wonder who could make them mad enough to consider such a dark thing like hiring me. Before I could ask, the king continues the queen's line of thought, and he clarifies my questions handily.

"Well, not like your usual ones. In fact, I wouldn't even be considering this at all if I hadn't seen you use magic out there. I, and my wife, would like you to come to Arendelle and help teach a young lady to control her powers."

My mind ground to a halt as I put two and two together. Arendelle had closed itself off for years; the royals wanted a tutor to help someone with _hard to control magic_…

"Your eldest daughter, I presume? Oh, don't give me those startled looks; I just put the facts together. I would love to take a job other than my normal one. I was going to retire, in fact. Too many contracts are being taken out on MY life lately, and I have enough saved to live my life in moderate comfort. This takes me at the perfect time. Just give me a couple of days to get my affairs in order at the next port of call, and I'll be right there with you when you return to Arendelle."

The delight on their faces is almost blinding, and I find myself swept away in the tide of positive emotion- not much of that in my line- well, my _old_ line of work. I smile as we laugh at something the king said. Things were looking up. As we finished dinner and I reaffixed the mask, the king rummages through his trunk and hands me a piece of paper, folded over and sealed with the official seal of Arendelle royalty.

"We took the opportunity of drawing up a letter to our majordomo in case you get delayed in getting your affairs in order. It describes what your job is to be in detail, as well as pay and quarters. It's all quite generous, so we aren't worried about you turning down our offer. Take it, just in case."

I do, tucking it into a sealed, waterproof pouch inside my cloak for safekeeping. "I can't thank you enough, your highnesses. I promise, I won't let you down."

I head off to the main deck, planning on sleeping there again. Opening up the hatch to the main deck, I'm swamped with a deluge of water and nearly trampled by the ship's Captain barging through. He comes across the royals and delivers a brusque message.

"Highnesses, we've just hit a major squall. Nowhere to go but through, and it's gonna get nasty. Might want to strap in."

After delivering that news he was off, back onto the deck and bellowing orders before he even was out of the hall.

I looked over at the king and queen, who were taking his advice. I changed my direction to the cargo hold, deciding to see if I could recover my gear cache from the crate before everything was tied down. I was just in time, grabbing my sealed leather bag just before they moved the crate. Suddenly, the ship lurched and I lost my balance, cracking my skull on the crate.

Everything went black.

I awoke to bobbing seas and a jabbering, panicked sailor who was pulling me into a wildly tipping lifeboat. The pounding in my head was making it hard to think, but I forced my brain into gear and looked around.

I was greeted by a sobering sight. Only one other lifeboat was about, and while it had the king and queen in it, I could see that they were no more. My heart was heavy with sadness; even though I had known them for less than a day, I had come to genuinely like them. They had been wonderful people, and would be greatly missed. Hardening my heart and pushing my greif to the back of my mind to process later, I look around and take stock of the situation. Two lifeboats, six survivors, four in a boat meant for three, the other two sharing their's with the royals… Gah. I look around and spot my bag floating along nearby. Reaching out, I snag it by the handle, pulling it in. I have water and food in there, enough to last me two weeks, so three days with minimal rations for us all. Oh, they rescued a water cask- we've got around a week then.

Settling in and giving in to my headache, I pass out again, only to be woken when cold steel is slapped around my wrists. Jerking upright, I see that I'm on a new ship- we must have had an escort following behind us by a day or so. Gathering my thoughts, I grab hold of my bag and sink into the shadows, leaving the manacles on the deck. Although it's a mental strain, I manage to maintain the state for the week it takes us to get to out next port of call, eating and drinking in the realm of darkness, and only leaving in the dead of night to relieve myself. We arrive, and I set about fixing my affairs up for my trip to Arendelle. I was honor bound to help the princess. Not just as a job, but as what might well have been the king and queen's last request. After packing all I needed and setting my accounts straight, I set off for Arendelle.

**Steel and Shadows**

Pulling myself up the docks, I find a small abandoned shack nearby and change into my town clothes, stowing my wet assassin's gear in my second oilcloth bag. Taking a deep, bracing breath, I head up the road to the castle gates, ominously closed in the distance, the townsfolk scurrying around to get out of the rain. As I walked, I held onto the pouch containing the letter from the king like a lifeline, because it really was. It was more than just a job offer, a paycheck, and somehow- even at that time- I knew it was a door to much, much more.

It was a door into a life I never knew, a life of new beginnings, adventure, magic- and maybe, just _maybe_, love.

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**A/N: What the chapter title refers to is my OC's name- Noctis Caelum translates to 'Night Sky' in latin, and it has more connotations to it than are apparent now. Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2- Progress, one step at a time

**A/N: I showed this to an IRL friend of mine and he pointed out similarities between my OC, Noctis, and characters in the game Dishonored- I hadn't even heard of it, so any coincidences are, well, coincidences. Hopefully awesome ones, though!**

**Steel and Shadows**

_Chapter 2: Progress, one step at a time._

Well, arriving in the midst of a storm isn't the best experience, but I've had worst first impressions of a town. Hauling my sodden self to the nearest guardhouse along the bridge to the castle, I'm not surprised to see the guardsmen huddled just inside around a small fire. They looked up at my approach, and they had a small conversation with just body language; neither wanted to get wet again. I watched this 'argument' with mild amusement; I was used to the wet and cold, so I could wait. Finally, the younger of the two inside the guardhouse stands and approaches me, a long standing look of boredom and annoyance plastered across his face.

"Hello good sir. I'm afraid I must inform you that the castle is closed to the public, and will not be opening in the near future I'm afraid; may I direct you to the nearest inn for some lodging and food?"

Smiling politely, I pull out the letter from my pouch and hand it over to him to inspect. "Well, I happen to have something here that might just change your mind about letting me into the castle."

The letter had the Arendelle royal seal on it; only the King or Queen had the signet rings to emboss it, and the seal was still intact. The paper not too aged; this meant it was current, and the guard knew it. It was addressed to one 'Majordomo Kai' on behalf of the bearer. To put it in perspective, my name not being visible brought the importance of the letter up a few levels, and for the letter to be addressed to the leader of the castle's staff?

Well, the guards blanch and sudden rise to attention might have been warranted.

"Sarge, I think you need to see this, now!" Turning to address me, he waves me inside as he speaks. "Sorry sir, but until I can verify that this letter is, in fact, real I need to keep you here. As soon as its authenticity is verified- the sarge over there can do that- I'll take you inside. Is that alright?"

I was familiar with the procedure; I had used it to my advantage in a job, before. "Yes, yes, no problem at all. I know that you have to be careful; I'll wait as long as you need."

The guard's posture relaxed; he probably expected me to be a stuck-up dignitary or something. Ah well, all the better; when people like you, things usually go smoother than they would otherwise. A minute later, the older guard stood up from where he had been comparing the wax seal with a book of examples and walked over, a solemn look on his face.

"Yes, this is indeed a legitimate document. Only thing is, the seal was the most recent in the record; issued only days before the King and Queen shipped out on their last voyage." Resting his hand on the pommel of his sword, he looks me in the eye, the remains of his congenial manner sloughing off to reveal tense anger.

"This means that you were there; yet, I know you weren't' one of the guards that came back. That only leaves that odd man that they say disappeared. You have an explanation, boy?"

Crap, I wasn't expecting this. I WOULD get the intelligent guard who actually uses logic; my luck sucks. Putting my hands in plain view, I answer calmly. "Yes, I do, and it's inside that letter. I will stay here under guard while you deliver it, if you wish. I mean no harm to anyone here at the castle, royal or pheasant. I know you only have my word, but I ask that you accept it."

As I spoke, I could see his grip tighten on his sword as he listened. I must have made _some_ sort of impression, because he relaxed his grip as I finished speaking- although he didn't let go. Sensible man; world could sure use more like him.

Taking a breath, he scowls at me as he answers. "Bah, I don't like it, but I'll do it. Just know that if there's any funny business, I'll enjoy watching your head make a trip from your shoulders."

Could do without the hostility, though. Snatching the letter up from where he had been inspecting it, he calls over three more guards to the post and heads into the castle. I settle in for a wait, ignoring the hostile stares and whispers of the men surrounding me. I pass the time by inspecting the room and mapping out all the ways I could escape without using my powers or killing anyone. The guards weren't too numerous, but they did take their jobs seriously; they had fewer gaps in their defense than most. Because of this, I only saw three escape routes that were viable, while if I was in Corona I would have seen dozens.

Frying pans are an interesting improvised weapon, but they don't stop men who can flip off of walls and rafters like a monkey.

I waited and analyzed for around an hour, the little bit of light the clouds let through waning steadily; must be around dinner time, I think. Finally, I saw the familiar silhouette of 'sarge' coming down the main bridge, followed closely by a portly man in fancier clothes. My eyebrow went up; this must be Majordomo Kai. Bracing myself for flight, just in case, my tenseness was noticed by my watchers. The most experienced of them loosened their swords in their scabbards; not an overtly hostile move, but a practical one that also served as a warning. I was looking forward to- hopefully- working with these professionals.

The duo arrived, and as I took in the odd look on their faces- confusion mixed with sympathy and a bit of guarded respect- I had to wonder; exactly _what_ did that letter say?

I was about to find out.

They entered the guardhouse, the sergeant dismissing the added guards back to their normal posts. He and Kai took seats, both studying my face as they did so. Then, Kai surprised me by handing me the letter, now opened. I looked down and read it quickly, as though re-familiarizing myself with its contents. Reading it, though, almost made me lose control of my facial expressions- almost. I have one hell of a poker face if I need, but the contents of the letter almost broke my self-control.

Kai, our most faithful servant-

The man who bears this letter is more important than you would believe, but it is his secret, not ours to tell. What we must detail now, however, is what he has been sent to Arendelle for, and the circumstances that led to it. We met him when our ship was attacked by pirated; he expressed incredible combat skill; …

At this point, it led into a greatly detailed description of my battle, although it left out my supernatural abilities; before the storm, the King and Queen had forbidden the sailors to speak of it or report it, and it looks like they adhered to their own command; this relieved me greatly. What followed the details of the battle, though, was what almost broke my self-control.

… And as such, I believe that the attack was intentional, meant to end our lives with great prejudice. As such, we fear for the lives of Elsa and Anna. If we were targeted in such a way, they might be as well. And so, as he has protected us, we have given him the option to be the bodyguard of Elsa and Anna, our daughters. He is supremely qualified, even more so than is written here. Also, and if we know you like we think we do, Kai, you will be shocked to hear that he is to be allowed access to Elsa's room. We hereby nullify the decree towards non-entry to her quarters to the bearer of this document. We know this is a great risk, but we don't believe that the man would let this document fall into the wrong hands. In addition, he is hereby given the sole authority to completely dissolve the castle's isolation if he feels fit to do so. This authority is, however, to expire when Elsa comes upon her 21st birthday and comes of age to be Queen. Then, the authority shall be hers, as shall all others.

In order to carry out his duties, the letter bearer shall be assigned to the room across from Elsa's. It is to be readied for him as quickly as is feasible, so he may begin his duties at once. As for pay, we believe that he will find an equivalent salary to that of the guard Captain's amenable. (My eyes almost popped out here- that's a _lot._)

We know that these are odd orders, Kai, and we only ask that you remember the hiring of yourself, and the third day of your service to see this is indeed genuine. We know we are in danger, so there is a possibility that this shall reach you if we are deceased; hopefully, though, we shall be able to introduce this young man ourselves, and this letter shall not be needed.

Signed and sealed;

King Agdar of Arendelle and Queen Idun of Arendelle

…

Holy shit. The king and queen had essentially given me access to the entirety of the royal family, and the authority to isolate them for a good three years or expose them the day I arrived. Either the king and queen were naive fools, or they saw something in me I didn't, and still don't. I guess I'll have to live up to their expectations.

An internal grin spread- I love a challenge.

All this went through my mind in a heartbeat- I process information very quickly- and I look back up to Kai, meeting his gaze.

Offering my hand, I introduce myself, using my real name for the first time aloud in years. "Noctis Caelum, at your service. I hope that I can live up to the late king and queen's expectations."

He takes my hand, a ghost of a smile on his portly face. "Kai, majordomo of Arendelle castle, at yours. If that account is even remotely close to being accurate, you are quite welcome here. Please, follow me to the castle; we shall get you settled in, and I will introduce you to Princess Anna tomorrow, and maybe even Princess Elsa, if you wish."

Nodding, I rise from the table, followed by the guard and Kai. Offering my hand to the guard, startling him, I offer him a sardonic smirk. "I look forward to working with you, sir. I take no offence at your actions; they were in keeping with a guardsman who keeps his wits about him, and too few of them are about. I hope to see you soon- I need to spar with someone. Three months without practice, I might be a bit rusty!"

He laughs, a genuine belly laugh and clasps my arm- not a handshake, but a clasp of comradeship. "Ha, I look forward to it! The king was always an excellent judge of character; if he trusted you with that much authority, you must be something special indeed. Tomorrow, then?"

Releasing his hand, I turn and follow Kai to the castle gate, tossing my parting comment over my shoulder with a wave. "I look forward to it!"

Walking up the bridge with Kai, I get my first real look at the castle; it's an enormous thing, at least four double stories high- if it was a normal roof height, it would be counted at least ten, not counting the towers and fortified walls. Beautiful white stone is what it's made of, and even in the dreary rain it looks regal and proud. Kai looks back and chuckles a bit at my gaping mouth. "I had the same first impression, only I tripped! Now come along, I don't want to stay out in the rain any longer than I have to!"

Hurrying a bit now, we rush to the main gates, Kai knocking an elaborate rhythm on the gate before a guardsman opens it just enough for us to come in. Looking at their nervous faces, even this doesn't happen often. I have to wonder, was Elsa's gift so powerful or damaging that this level of secrecy was truly needed?

I guess I'll find out. I was broken out of my thoughts by Kai speaking again. "The room mentioned is actually being used as a study for Elsa, should she need it. To move the required supplies and fixtures will take around a day or so, so if you would like to-"

I cut him off, here; a private study would be great with helping Elsa control her power, whatever it is, so I could stand another room; it's not like I really cared where I would sleep, except it being near the princesses' room, lest she need help during the night.

"Kai, a private study is a private study; no need to tear it apart for me. Is there another room on the same floor, perhaps the same hallway that would be useable? I would prefer to sleep close, just in case."

Kai thinks for a moment, muttering to himself as he thinks. Finally, his face lights up and he hurries off, gesturing for me to follow. "Indeed there is, and it is already set up for a guest! No-one has used it, of course, so everything should be in order." We pass by a few doors, and stop one door down from a doorframe decorated with blue snowflakes.

"This is to be your room, sir! And, just for reference, the room next to yours, the one with the snowflakes painted onto the doorway? That is Princess Elsa's room- you couldn't be closer if you tried. Anna's is across the way and one down." Now he looks me over, taking in my single bag with a raised eyebrow. "Is that all you have with you? I had assumed you would carry more clothes and essentials with you…"

I grimace; I had forgotten about that. "Ah, sorry Kai. I hadn't thought of that, and on a sea voyage of three months I had little time for laundry. I'll see towards getting some better clothes tomorrow. I have a suitable set of clothes in the bag, so tomorrow won't be an issue."

Nodding, he opens the door and hands me the key. "Well, so long as you don't look too much like a drunken sailor, I have no qualm. Now, do you need to eat something? Dinner will be served in a few minutes. I can have something brought up to you, if you wish."

Shaking my head, I refuse. "No, I think I'll come to dinner. Good time to meet the staff and the princesses, eh?"

Kai's smile at my agreement to dine in the main hall crumples a bit at my following words. "Ah, well, Anna will be there, certainly; Elsa, however, always takes her meals in her room, so she won't be joining us, I'm afraid."

That brought a frown to my face. She had the option to eat with the others; as far as I could infer, that wasn't forbidden. So _why didn't she?_

Oh lord, what a mystery.

I hate mysteries.

Refocusing, I nod to Kai. "Well, I'll introduce myself tomorrow then! Still, I have to get ready for dinner. I remember the way to the main entry hall; how do I get to the dining hall from there?"

After a few moments I have the directions memorized. Bidding goodbye to Kai, I enter my new room. It's simple, smaller than the others on the hall due to being on the corner, but I'm not too picky. The furniture is nice, simple and understated but of good quality. I could get used to this!

Laying my duffel down, I unseal it and remove my assassin's gear. Looking around, I see no place to covertly stash it, so after removing my small armory from my bag, I replace the gear in it, re-seal it and simply shove it under the bed. Simple; I just hope nobody gets the smart idea to go through my stuff. Not looking forward to explaining that!

Arranging my large repository of knives, wire, daggers and bolts on the main table, I take inventory, keeping the two short-sword length cases on the bed for right now.

Three pouches of throwing knives, twenty each. Three rolls of matte black, monofilament copper wire- check. Wrist mounted bow? Check, needs a new re-cocking gear for the mechanism though. I have a spare here somewhere… Aha! There it is; I'll fix it later, when I get back to my room. Thirty standard bolts, fifteen specials- ten explosive, five poison, and my vial of antitoxin. My armored vest was a part of my assassin's outfit, so I'll have to make a replacement. Not too much of a problem.

Finally, I turn to the bed, looking over the two cases laid there. I open them one at a time, revealing the contents.

Each one contains a gauntlet of some sort of metallic substance, a matte-black that I have yet to encounter again after finding these. Harder than steel, but weighing around the same as light leather, these forearm guards are some of my best tools. They have a spring loaded blade along the edge opposite the thumb, the serrated blade springing out to be parallel to my arm and locking in place with just a button press. The left gauntlet has leather straps around it to attach my wrist-bow to it, anchored outside the blade's extension area

These were my best and favorite weapons, and I hadn't worn them in a long time; in assassinations, sometimes you have to dump everything you're carrying to have a chance of escape, and even with supernatural powers I've had to do the same. I didn't want to lose these, so I had stopped carrying them on jobs.

Bah, too much time spent on my weapons; not enough time to dry off normally, now. Ah well, my magic can take care of that.

Focusing, I bring the comforting feel of my magic to the surface, focusing on my clothes and body. One modified 'blink' spell later, I'm dry and across the room while a small puddle of water is on the floor where I was standing. Cracking my neck, I focus once again, but this time only on my clothes. Instead of bending the world, I pull the fabric of shadows across me, pulling the blackness free of its own world and molding it. By using my clothes as a base, I weave the shadows into reality, and they jolt into familiar forms, gaining color and definition. An odd way to make myself some formalwear for the dinner, but the result is quite nice.

I now have on what looks to be a set of black trousers, tailored to perfection. Ankle-high boots adorn my feet, military styled for comfort and utility, the toe reinforced like most others. My torso is covered in a dark grey long-sleeved shirt, tight against my chest but loose in the sleeves, just enough to hide my bracers of I remove the finger and wrist sections. On top of that, I have a jet black leather jacket to go on top. Inspecting this, I'm exasperated by my power- I thought I was over this quirk. The jacket isn't solid black like I thought; as I move, I spy small flashes of white and light, icy blue spots evenly spaced along the jacket. I look like I'm wearing the night sky; matches my name, at least.

Muttering to myself, I adjust my jacket on my shoulders. "Well, at least I'll be interesting!"

Time to go. Pausing only to strap the gauntlets- now bracers- and a few knives to myself, I brush open the door and head down the hall, never noticing the slightly open door that a single, curious blue eye peers out of.

I arrive in the dining hall just on time- and I draw quite a bit of attention. With no new visitors for quite a while, my appearance is quite a shock, let alone my unusual coat. Kai sees me and ushers me over to the main table, seating me next to the only empty place other than mine. As I sit, a small but polite barrage of questions descends upon me- Who are you, how are you doing, what's your business in the castle and so forth. Nothing too prying, just slightly lonely people wanting something new in their lives. I answer politely, joking a bit here and there, the warm, familial atmosphere comforting. Before too long, however, I notice no-one's eating- indeed, the food isn't out yet. Sending a curious look over to Kai, he leans over and whispers into my ear.

"We're waiting on Princess Anna, Noctis. She's the only one left, and we don't like to be rude and start without her- she's a lonely girl, without Elsa around her anymore."

I grimace in sympathy; it would suck to be separated like that. I just have to wonder if it was a good idea to close off the castle and the princesses like this!

I was broken from my thoughts by a loud bang and a youthful voice shouting as a redheaded girl burst through the main entrance. Looking up, I saw the resemblance to the late king and queen.

"Sorry, sorry everyone! I heard that someone new was here in the castle and I went looking and lost track of time… Sorry!"

This had to be Princess Anna- who was apparently my neighbor at the table, and upon seeing me she ground to a halt, a blush that she tried to hide creeping up her cheeks.

Kai stood, pulling out her chair, and she broke from her stupor and sat, Kai sliding her in. She sat for a moment there, sneaking looks at me as though I would disappear. Letting out an amused chuckle, I turn to her, offering my hand.

"Well, you found me! Noctis Caelum, at your service milady."

She took my hand and shook it, her blush of embarrassment subsiding a bit.

"W- well, my name's Anna. Nice to meet you! So, are you here to stay? Oh! Why did you come, anyway? And what's up with your coat?"

I blinked. Wow, she got over her embarrassment fast!

Shaking my head, I respond. "Well, to answer your questions in order, yes I am, to be your and your sister's bodyguard, and my coat is a mystery."

She just blinked at me as my answers sunk in. "Oh! Someone new, finally! No offense Cael, but it gets a bit boring here. And seriously, what IS up with your coat? It looks like the night sky!"

Shaking my head, I lean back a bit to better allow the server who had just arrived better access to the table.

"None taken; I can certainly imagine it would. Also, Cael? I don't mind, but most people don't give nicknames to people they just met. And as to my coat, think of what my name means and you might get a hint."

A bit too close to revealing my powers, but I bet they'll go for the impression that it was made for me because of my name.

She blinks. "What about your name? It's in a different language, but I don't know it…"

Kai gives her a grumpy look; apparently he's her Latin tutor, if I had to guess. "In Latin, my name directly translates to 'Night Sky'. So, my coat is just like my name, I guess."

Her eyes light up at the connection. "Oh, did you get it made like that? Where did you get it?"

I can't help but burst into full bodied belly laughter at her perky attitude, drawing many curious looks my way. After a few moments, I regain control of myself and address a puzzled Anna.

"Well, to answer your first question, I didn't have it made. For the second…" I let my voice trail off and let a sly smile appear on my face as I gesture to her to lean in closer.

She does, and I whisper in her ear…

"It's a secret!"

Her indignant squawk and huff brings laughter out across the table, and soon her scowl melts into a smile. She elbows me in the ribs, a false grumble in her voice. "I'll get you for this, you know!"

Giving her a cheeky grin, I reply; "I look forward to it!"

The rest of the meal passes in good cheer, talk of events and similar filtering in through the servants who live outside the castle. I was questioned on my origins a few times, but I always managed to deflect the conversation away; I didn't want to deal with that now. The meal slowly came to a close, the final highlight being when the chocolate cake was served; Anna let out a pleased shriek so loud my ears hurt, and I couldn't help but snark a bit.

"Anna, if you shriek like that again, we might be up to our armpits in dogs!" The incredulous look she gave me over stuffing cake into her mouth was enough to make my ribs hurt due to laughing; it was a great way to end the day. As we filtered out if the dining room, I catch Kai on his way out.

"Excuse me, Kai, but what time would be good to introduce myself to Elsa? I should ask, really, what time does she usually use her study- that's when I would like to speak to her, if possible."

He gives me this odd look, like I was crazy for wanting to disturb Elsa, but shrugs and replies. "Well, she is always in the study around noon; we always deliver lunch to her in there, so that would be a sure time to catch her there."

I think on it, weighing the pros and cons of approaching her in there; it was a private place for her, yes, but less so than her room. It was possibly the best place to approach her, so I made my decision.

"Well, it looks like I will be taking lunch with Elsa, if she'll have me. Thanks, Kai. I'll be skipping breakfast; I have errands to run, so I'll eat out or not at all. Thanks!"

I go to head to my room, but he stops me with a gentle hand on my shoulder. Nevertheless, I have to withhold my instinct to remove his hand from his arm; in fact, the only time I hadn't had to fight my combat instincts was when I was conversing with Anna. Hmm.

He caught my tenseness and respectfully dropped his hand as I turned around.

"Well, if you plan to have lunch with her, come to the dining hall around eleven tomorrow; I'll have trays made for you both, and you can take them up together. She doesn't open the door except to take food or to leave to her room, so this may be for the best."

The behavior he was describing was ringing alarm bells in my head, and I was seriously concerned. Not for the people of the castle- I believed they were safe enough; nothing had happened to them so far. No, I was worried about the Queen-to-be. This was excessively introverted behavior, and from the stories the servants told around the table earlier, it was very out of character for Elsa, regardless how long she had been up there.

Rubbing my forehead, I nod to Kai, my dark thoughts preventing me from answering verbally. Sensing my discomfort, he nods back and shuffles out. I head up to my room, feeling more than seeing Anna following me at a distance. She may be clumsy, but she knows the castle very well and can use it to her advantage. Feeling playful again, I turn a corner and merge into the shadow of the wall just before Anna reaches the intersection. She comes through, heading towards the next hall upon not seeing me. I pop out of the shadow and walk up behind her, footsteps as silent as only a master of stealth can make them. She was hesitating at the intersection, probably wondering which way I went.

Grin fully plastered on my face, I walk up and say in a low, whispered tone, "I believe he went to the left."

Without thinking, she responds; "Thanks!" … Then it sinks in and she turns and sees me standing there, shit-eating grin plastered on my face unashamedly. "WHA-!"

She jumps back, flailing into the hallway, tripping on the edge of the rug. I see where she's going to fall, and I blanch. The suit of armor there is holding a battle-axe- at just the right angle to cut her arm open good if she falls the way she's going to. Without much of an option, I flex my power _just a bit,_ blipping forward a few feet to grab her arm, halting her inches away from the sharp blade.

"How- wha… How did you catch me?! I mean thanks, but you must have been too far away! How did you-?"

I just hold my hand up, forestalling her comments. "Anna, I'm just fast; that's all. Anyway, I'm glad you're alright. I was just trying to prank you for following me; sorry it turned out so badly. I'll leave you to your sleep."

I walk off, but she quickly catches up to me, babbling.

"No, no it's fine- I'm clumsy anyway. Really- thanks for helping me, ok? But still- how did you catch me following you? I was careful, and I didn't even see you look backwards!"

She was right- I hadn't. If I wasn't used to listening for the tiniest sounds possible, I wouldn't have noticed her. But still…

"Anna, I AM supposed to be your and Elsa's bodyguard- that IS why I came here, you know. Well, that and one other thing, but I digress. I'm very good at my job, and a good bodyguard has to see danger coming from miles away."

We walked and talked, she trying to elicit just what gave her away from me, and I was trying not to tell her- just to tease her. Finally, just as we came to her door, she unleashed her puppy-dog eyes.

"ALRIGHT! Ok, ok! Anna, I found you by listening for footsteps. I have trained myself so unless I concentrate, mine make no sound, so yours were the only other ones around. Now seriously- we should get to bed. Goodnight, Anna, and sweet dreams!"

She gives me a smile and waves back. "Goodnight Cael!"

I enter my room, stash my weapons and put one of my daggers under the pillow before changing out of my clothes and turning out the lamp- I'm out like a light the instant my head hits the pillow.

**Steel and Shadows**

Waking up in a luxurious bed after an awesome day was a new experience for me; I was often asleep in a hay loft or tree, it being too risky to stay in an inn after a job. Yet another thing I was appreciating. I listen for the quiet tick of the grandfather clock in my room for a moment, not really wanting to move before raising myself out of bed to look at the clock.

Six thirty in the morning. I blink to myself; really? Normally my internal clock wakes me just after five, but I wasn't complaining. Cracking my neck, I go about my morning exercise routine- pushups, sit-ups, handstands and the like. I do around two hundred reps of each before I grab my gauntlets and slide them on and start my katas with them. I ignore the throwing knives; no targets to practice with for them or the wrist bow.

Oh! The wrist bow; I still need to fix it. After finishing my morning exertions, I sit myself down and pull out a small toolkit and begin disassembling the most complicated item I own. The bow is a repeater; a small crank puts pressure on a spring that is used to re-cock the limbs of the bow after every shot, the pull-back stripping another bolt from the 'bandoleer' that runs underneath it. The gear that needs replacing is the one that governs the auto-reloading process; the bow would still work if it broke, but would need manually reloaded. Not too big an issue, but still a concern. Replacing it after taking apart the assembly and looking for other wear and tear, I pronounce it fit for use and prime the spring. It's good for forty-five consecutive shots before needing re-cranked, and I haven't fired it since the last reload, so it's still under tension; I release and re-crank it, just to be sure.

My gear all together, I step into the bathroom and clean myself off, rinsing the sweat from my exertions off before re-donning my outfit from last night. Heading to the door, I strap my bracers on, adding my repaired bow to my left wrist, it folding out of sight for now. I stow a few throwing knives on each arm again, five on my right and three on my left, with more in my belt and at my ankles. Strapping a small, utilitarian dagger to my waist mostly for show or emergencies, I judge myself ready to face the day. I head out of the castle, taking the path I used yesterday to come in. I'm not worried about getting locked out; I can just 'blink' inside if I need to. I exit the front gates and head into the market, looking for a blacksmith that might make what I need. I look for around three hours, the marketplace filling up as I look. Finally, after visiting three smiths and finding that they don't do leather-work, I come across one that might work. Heading in, the heat from the forge smacks me in the face like a hammer. Weathering it, I call out to the owner.

"Hello! Anyone available? I'm here to ask about custom work. Can you help me?"

A gruff voice sounds off in the back. "Yeah, just a minute- gotta finish with this casting here."

Settling in to wait, I stand there for around five minutes- not a bad wait considering- before a large man lumbers out of the back.

"Names Kel, I do the work here. Whaddaya need, son?"

Not batting an eyelash at his treatment- I like the straight down to business type- I tell him. "I need an armored vest, hardened leather with steel plates inside to stop light projectiles, front and back. Cloak as well, same armor around the neck and cowl, hardened to prevent choking. Also, a set of full-arm sleeves for the vest, if possible, also with the steel plates inlaid, possibly thicker at the shoulder. On those, no armor needed at the fore-arm or wrist, just softer leather suitable to meet skin for long periods of time. I can pay, no worries."

His gob-smacked stare is worth my frank description. After a moment, he lets out a belly laugh, holding out his arm. "Sounds like a CHALLENGE! Getting leather an' steel to work like that without being obvious its armor? I like your style, boy. It'll be done in two weeks, and the price is gonna be around five hundred. Sound fair?"

I blink- five hundred is a steal. He must have seen the look on my face, because he answered my thoughts straight out. "I said it was a challenge, and I LIKE challenges. Plus, my brother works with the guard and described you last night- he's the young-un you met at the guard house. He heard the whole story."

Emerging from my stupor, I grin and shake his hand. "Deal. Sounds like I might need to some here some more!"

With another deep laugh, he waves me off. I leave the sweltering smithy and head back to the castle, seeing as it's around ten now. Might as well get that spar in, huh?

After a walk through the main hall, I ask a passing maid where the guard barracks are; she directs me towards a courtyard opposite the main entrance. I emerge into the sun to the sounds of men sparring, clashing swords and the metallic drone of whetstones. I look around and soon spot the 'sarge'- he's dressing down tow surly looking men for, and I cock an ear as I walk up to him, apparently not listening to him about how to fight; they seem to think he doesn't know what he's doing. 'Sarge'- I really need to learn his name- sees me approaching, and I see an evil smirk come upon his face- and I think I like what he's cooking up, if I'm right. He waves me over, staring down the two burly brawlers the whole time.

As I arrive, they look at me, evaluate me and immediately dismiss me. I mentally scoff; amateurs.

I greet sarge with an arm clasp. "Hey sarge- What is your name, anyway? I didn't get it yesterday."

He just laughs. "Sarge is close enough- it's actually Sergei and 'Sarge" stuck when I hit that rank. Anyway, these two idiots think that being burly will let 'em win every time. Wanna prove them wrong for me?"

I look them over and look back at him. "I thought I was supposed to spar with you, not beat up two meat-heads."

The two meat-heads took offense; cracking knuckles and looming. I just stare at them, supremely uninterested in their posturing as Sergei replies.

"Well, I though you could use a warm-up; I'm good to go, got my exercise done an hour ago. So, you in?"

Looking back at Brick #1 and Brick #2, I shrug. "Yeah, sure. Rules?"

He looks me over and a _truly_ malicious smile comes over his face. "Yep- weapons allowed, to first blood only. You can take what you've got on, they can grab a sword or shield off the rack."

I like this guy; he saw my armament and set the meat-heads up for humiliation. They thought they got the better deal, and grunted and nodded, each grabbing a bastard sword from the rack.

I crack my neck and jump in the ring, vaulting the fence like it's nothing. The big guys lumber in, and I can see that more than half the yard's watching this.

Good.

"Well Sergei, I'm good to go. Just say the word!" I call out, not even bothering to draw my dagger. The two slabs of meat just grin and heft their swords.

Sergei just waves his hand, all lackadaisical. "Well, get it over with!"

The brutes charged at the same time. Rolling my eyes, I duck forward, coming up behind the arcs of their swords as they swing them. Poking them both in the ribs, legs and over the kidneys, I roll back before they could do anything. They laugh at me, and speak for the first time where I could hear them.

"What, you think poking us is gonna take us out pansy?"

I just smirk. "No, but think for a moment. If I had my knife drawn and hit you two where I poked you, what do you think would have happened?"

Their faces go red as they realize I just taunted them. Roaring, they charge again, this time one swinging horizontally while the other watched me.

Interesting; they CAN learn, but not the lesson that Sergei wants them to. So, drawing my knife, I duck the first swing, going almost flat to the ground, and the swing from the second guy I roll away from, his sword sticking in the packed dirt. I jump up, drawing my dagger along the first man's arm where the wrist is, enough to split the skin but nothing else. I hear him growl in frustration as I duck the other guy's second swing, before I dart in and, in a show of agility, use his buddy as a springboard in a jump-kick that lands squarely on his temple, knocking him cold. His comrade, still not twigging to the fact that I blooded him, yells and swings again, and I just sidestep, turn and slap him upside the head and yell.

"Hey, idiot! Look at your wrist; spar's over, I won!"

Finally, he glances down to see she thin lines of blood running down his hand and onto the sword. I jump out of the ring and make my way to Sergei, him giving me an appraising look. I reach him just as the meat-heads approach, the one having woken up just then with one hell of a headache. Predictably, they shout at me.

"What the hell! Pansy- you cheated! No way would that little cut on my wrist win a fight!"

The other just keeps silent; he knows he lost, and why- he's the one who stood back to watch for my reaction to the first guy's attack. I'm about to tear him a new one, complete with plumbing when Sergei beats me to it.

"You COMPLETE MORON! HE PULLED THE BLOW SO HE DIDN'T TAKE YOUR GODDAMN HAND OFF! If he sliced you like that in a REAL fight, you would have lost a hand and then your life! Hey, show him what you got packing so he can see how much he fucked up!"

I oblige, whipping out my array of throwing knives, popping the blades on my bracers- that scared them, I could have just backhanded them and jut them open but good-and their faces when I showed them my crossbow?

Well, if they got any whiter, snow would look dirty. To save them a bit of a tongue-lashing, I address them before Sergei gets to it.

"The point that Sergei is making, boys, is that you need to fight smarter, not harder. Sure, brute force can be very helpful- in fact, it's a great thing to have on your side. But all that muscle is useless if a guy can simply duck in and stab you before you can hit him. If each of you used a smaller sword alongside a shield, I would have a hard time getting you with my bow or daggers, and you would be able to swing at me faster. That way, you could wear me down; keep me out of that close range vulnerability I used with the wrist slice and jump-kick. So, lesson learned?"

The guy holding his head still looks pained, but he nods and I see the gears turning in his head- he gets it. The other guy just looks sullen- only time will tell with him.

Sergei just waves them off, looking over at me with amusement. "I only spotted those bracers- nice pieces of work, by the way. Still, you look to be taking your job mighty serious, and you are not rusty in the least- at least, not in a way a spar with me would help with. I recommend you get some target practice in with the daggers and bow; it'll help you more than swingin' around a sword, as it seems you don't use one."

I smirk and head to the bow range, but not before tossing off a comment to him as I leave; "Oh, I use a sword, just not one like any of these!"

I get to the range, finding one setup to be fairly far away for throwing knives and one next to it at a good distance for my wrist-bow. Settling into my stance, I block out the men watching to flow into my throws. Whipping my arms across each other, I grab two knives from each arm before completing the motion, sending them to THUNK into the wooden target, side-by-side in the bull's-eye. The pair remaining in my hands I throw on the back-stroke, making a square out of the knives on the target before drawing one last one and sending it whizzing through the air to land, perfectly, in the center of the square I drew with the knives. Coming back to reality after my three-second drop into combat-time, I leave them there for the moment and move on to the bow area, cocking the action on the bow, even though I don't need to; it just adds a bit of extra force to the arrow.

This time, I take a knee and sight along my arm before, without warning, triggering the release twice in quick succession…

Both bolts ending up side by side in the bulls-eye.

Taking a breath, I stand and turn away, walking a few paces to the left, hiding the target behind half of the bale of hay used as a partition. Without warning, I drop into a combat roll, coming up on my knee, arm sighted, and fire six shots- the remaining regular bolts in the bandoleer I had attached- at the target. I was a bit off due to the sudden aiming and the increased distance –I had rolled further away before turning- but the grouping was still within the bull's-eye, with only two just outside it. Standing all the way up, I re-crank the mechanism on my wrist-bow the requisite amount of turns and go to retrieve my bolts and daggers, ignoring the astonished faces of those behind me. I was just happy that I could still do that as well as I used to. Collecting and re-arming with my bolts- the hay target kept them intact and re-usable, I grab my knives next, only to see that two had bent and weren't quite up to my standards any more. Shrugging and stowing them so I could hone and straighten the lot of them, I restock my arm-holsters from my pouch, and head inside, my exercises done. The crowd parted for me, still in awe of what I had done; I paid them no mind, I was thinking on what was happening next.

Time to meet the other Princess.

I swing by my room to quickly rinse off the grime from my brief bout and tumble, using my little trick to dry myself before heading down to the kitchens to grab the lunch trays for Elsa and I. Kai was there, waiting for me even though I was still a few minutes early. I grabbed the trays and was on my way out when he stopped me.

"Noctis, I don't know why the late king and queen trusted you so much, but please- help Elsa. We don't know why she sequesters herself, and she won't tell us, but still."

He looks up at me and places a pleading hand on my arm.

"Help her, please."

I give him a firm nod and a smile before heading up the stairs and down the hallway.

Time to see what I can do.

Sure enough, I see a moving shadow under the looser-fitted door to the study, indicating that someone is in there currently. Gently knocking, I speak softly through the door.

"Your highness, your lunch is here."

I detect a small sigh, and the scrape of a chair being pushed out. The clicking of the lock being disengaged confuses me; why lock the door? The whole castle will respect your privacy…

I shake off the thoughts, keeping a poker face on as the door opens. I was prepared for many things, from a person made of fire to a stereotypical hag woman boiling a hapless amphibian in her pot, but not this.

She was beautiful; her platinum blonde hair, although done up in a severe bun accentuated her glacial, ice-blue eyes perfectly, and I could feel my heart skip a beat. Her dress, although more drab than I would have expected, was simple and accentuated her curves marvelously. Anna was pretty, yes, and could draw many looks on her own but I thought that Elsa here was far surpassing her in almost every way.

I'm not sure how I managed to keep my frank admiration off my face, but I managed it somehow.

She opened the door just wide enough for me to come in before closing it behind me. She seemed to shy away from me, like she feared physical contact; odd. I also noted that the ambient temperature of the room was cooler than the rest of the castle; how, I don't know, but it was. I set the tray down, and only then did she notice that there were two platters there. She looked up at me quizzically, not saying a word, so I took the initiative. Giving her a smile, I spoke.

"Hello, Princess Elsa, my name is Noctis Caelum, and I am here to be your bodyguard and tutor."

Her completely blank look was a bit disheartening, I admit. Still, I forged on.

"I thought to introduce myself during lunch, and I hope you don't mind that presumption. I noticed you are uncomfortable with touch, and I assure you, I will stay as far away as makes you comfortable."

Her eyes widen at my admission, and I hear her voice for the first time; it's sweet and melodious, perfectly suited for singing and I had to fight to keep my emotion off my face again.

"Well, Noctis, was it? Thank you for the lunch, but I'm afraid I don't need a tutor or bodyguard; I stay in my chambers or here, nowhere else, and I learn just fine from these books." As she mentioned her learning, she sweeps her hand out to indicate the shelves of books and scrolls adorning the room; this wasn't a study, it was a library!

I can't keep my comment to myself, it just slipped out. "That is a LOT of books."

Somehow, this earned a small giggle from her, and I couldn't help but smile at her- it was a beautiful sound. Still, I had to explain just why I was here.

"Well, Princess Elsa, I can understand why a bodyguard might be a bit superfluous and you wouldn't need a tutor for these subjects, but…"

I broke off here- I was not looking forward to bringing this up, but I had to. "Well, Elsa, I was with your mother and father when they sailed out. I'm sure you heard of the pirate attack, just before the… Well, you know."

She nods, a frown forming on her face as the room temperature dipped again- okay, not a coincidence. Still, I have to keep going. Taking a deep breath, I look her in the eyes and get the rest out all at once.

"Well, there was more to the pirate attack than was reported. The pirates were more skilled at sea combat than the guardsmen, and were wiping them out. I was…" Here I smirked- here goes nothing!

"Well, I was a stow-away, and I heard the fighting. I decided to help, so I came on deck. Elsa, the reason I'm here is because your mother and father saw me wipe out the pirates with something they were shocked to see."

Focusing, I pull on my own shadow, bringing it up into my hand, forming it into a ball that hovered just above my palm.

Elsa's eyes were very, very wide and the room temperature took a nosedive- I could see my breath. Still, I continued on, dropping the shadow back down.

"I've had this power since I was a baby- born with it, I guess, didn't know my parents so I can't say for sure. I had a whole lot of trouble controlling it for the longest time; I would get angry and tendrils would attack what I was mad at, afraid and the room would go black to everyone but me. People were afraid- Hell, _**I**_ was afraid; I tried to conceal it, not let them know, but bottling my emotions just made it worse in the long run. But slowly I practiced with it, finding and ironing out the kinks, forging a system so it did what _**I**_ wanted, not what _**it**_ wanted. Now, I can do so much with it- even things that aren't to do with shadow or night. I believe you can learn the same control, too."

"After I helped rid the ship of the pirates, your mother and father invited me to dinner, and they offered me a job- to tutor you in controlling your gift. They didn't tell me what your ability was; they just gave me a letter of employment just in case. I assume that they meant me to find out from them closer to when I met you."

I let out a sigh. "The storm hit the day after the pirate attack; I was in the hold, and a wave knocked me into a crate, knocking me out. I awoke to being pulled into a lifeboat."

Clasping my hands in front of me, I just sit there for a moment, head bowed, before I spoke again, not lifting my head; I was opening up about what I really felt about something- not an everyday event, especially for me.

"I want to help you, Elsa. Please let me. I'm not doing this for pay, or out of responsibility. I'm doing it because nobody should live shut in like this. I'm doing it because it was your mother and father's last request, in my eyes. I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do. But most importantly?"

I look up, meeting her still wide eyes- she was breathing quickly, like she was scared of something.

Softly, I speak to her.

"I want to do this because you deserve a life."

She locks gazes with me, neither of us blinking. Slowly, she starts to calm down, the temperature warming to the previous level slowly as her breathing goes back to normal. Finally, she speaks to me in a hushed, worried tone.

"You really think you can help me? You're not afraid of me hurting you?

I stand up and walk over to her, just out of arm's reach, and crouch down, meeting her eyes as she stays seated.

"I do. And you won't hurt me; all you need is practice, and I can help you with that. Remember, bottling it doesn't work; trapped ice shatters the container."

I hold out a hand, and she looks at it fearfully; I finally understand why touch freaks her out; the chair is frosted over. She must be afraid of hurting someone. So, I pull my power along my arm, coating it in shadows, pulling them out of the black, making them into fabric. Elsa watches, fascinated, as a soft glove appears on my hand. Reaching out, she takes my hand, and I smile.

"Progress, one step at a time."


	3. Chapter 3- Of Bows and Arrows

**A/N: Just a reminder to you all; I write without a beta and without a proof-reader other than myself; errors will happen. Please, let me know where so I can go back and fix them at some point!**

**Sword and Shadows**

_Chapter 3: Of Bows and Arrows...  
_

Elsa was still nervous, even after I showed her that I could protect myself from any errant outbursts. This worried me, so I admit I pressed for details; when I heard the tale of how Anna was struck and then healed, I was of many, MANY different minds about it. For one, I was grateful for the trolls, as they had undoubtedly saved her from death.

On the other hand, I kind of wanted to storm into the troll village and start throwing shadow-spears around like candy. WHO had the goddamn BRIGHT IDEA of isolating a person whose POWERS were driven by _emotion? _Were they **trying** to have her erupt!? Elsa had seen my temper hiding in my eyes as she told me. I know she took it wrong; she had thought I was mad at her, of all things! The worst part was that even though I calmed myself and assured her that I wasn't, she still felt otherwise. Despite this, I was able to set up a schedule to help her practice, and the results seen in the first few weeks amazed her.

The problems she was having with the wide-spread outbursts disappeared rapidly with practice in controlling her emotions. She would have reached this point on her own, but it would have been months away and more fragile. She was better about her touch freezing things, but still feared contact enough that the thought of it spurred outbursts on its own. Without her gloves on, the time between touch and freezing was in seconds when she was nervous. Still, somehow she could eat just fine; I ignored that idiosyncrasy as simple self-preservation; even people with powers like us need to eat, yeah?

She was progressing- quite well, actually- and I had all the time in the world to help.

Or I would have, if Anna hadn't been snooping at the wrong place, at the wrong time.

One day after tutoring Elsa for a couple of hours longer than I normally would (She insisted, and I obliged; I really couldn't say no to her.) I went back to my quarters to find the door open a crack. My instincts went wild; someone was in my room, and wanted to keep it a secret. After glancing around to make sure nobody was around to see, I melted into the shadows and shifted my awareness into my room.

If I was breathing at that moment, I would have let out a sigh of relief; it was just Anna snooping. She seemed very interested in the large assortment of weaponry I had on my table, and was even picking them up and waving them around. Melting back into reality I open my door, being sure to make enough noise as not to scare Anna. I hear an aborted 'Eep!' as I enter and see an embarrassed young princess standing there holding my wrist-bow in a **very** dangerous grip.

My eyes widen in alarm; it was loaded and cocked, just like I leave it every night. And though it was pointed generally at the ground, the bolt I had loaded last was one that was poisoned. Tracing the line of fire and observing her body language, I could tell it was going to go off. But worse was where it was aimed; near the ground, yes, but not _at the ground._

It was going to hit her in the thigh, right over an artery. My anti-toxin couldn't save her if it hit there; the poison would hit her bloodstream instantly, and her heart would stop after two seconds.

Her arms tensed, and I pulled on my power. Hard.

When I 'blink', I use a tiny amount of power and a lot of control to move myself a few yards in an instant. This time, I had no luxury to focus, no time for finesse. I ripped a hole from one place to the next, my uncontrolled burst painting my body in matte-black shadows with sparkling white pips. Time seemed to slow and stop as I brutally warped space to reach Anna before she killed herself by accident. Arriving just in front of her as the bow launches the projectile, my power reacts to my wishes. The white stars and patterns disappear as the shadows bunch into a wall as solid as any made of brick, blocking the bolt and accidently sending Anna sprawling across the floor, sliding halfway under my bed.

Quickly, I dissipate my power so as not to scare her needlessly, retrieving and disarming my bow. As I do, Anna scrambles against the wall, holding my previously stowed bag in front of her as a shield while peeking over the edge. I place the now-harmless bow back on the table, holding up my hands in the symbol for 'I mean you no harm' before I speak.

"Anna, it's me, Cael. I can explain-"

She chose that moment to begin her freak-out. "OH MY GOD! What did you DO to me? All that freaky black and sparks and the moving! I thought you were here to help us!"

I could tell that she only stopped there for breath, so I broke in there while I could.

"ANNA! I AM here to help; please, just listen! I've always had these powers. I did that just now to _save you._ That bow you picked up was loaded with a poison bolt, and you accidently set it off. It was pointed at your leg; I didn't have time to reach you and stop it, so I moved myself to you. In blocking the bolt, I accidently knocked you over; I had no time for finesse. I can prove it. You see over there?"

I point out the bolt lying on the floor where it had bounced. I see Anna's eyes flit to it before resuming their terrified stare towards me.

"I stopped it, but barely. The poison would have killed you, Anna. I understand if you don't want me around; I'll leave you be. But I still have to guard Elsa and you."

Her gaze was less suspicious now, but much more angry. With Anna, this wasn't an improvement. She found her voice shortly.

"How can I believe you? You've been hiding this from all of us for the entire time we've known you! Not to mention that you arrived with a letter from when mom and dad DIED! How can you prove anything you say isn't a lie?!"

My heart drops out of my chest as she finishes. I only know of one way, and it won't be pretty. It also won't be without a great deal of risk to me, but that wasn't the bad part. I was used to being in harm's way; it is pretty much in my old job description. No, I was worried about losing the life I had here for good, losing the trust and peace I had found here.

I was scared of losing the few rays of light in my black existence. I put up a façade, an image of the carefree man- I am anything but.

A lifetime of killing and abuse is anything but sunshine and bunnies.

But as it was, I was guaranteed to lose it. If I revealed a bit of my past, I had a chance- a small, almost invisibly tiny one- but I had a chance.

Sighing heavily, I make my decision.

"Anna, if you want to know the truth, there are two things I need you to do. No, don't interrupt; it's so you can believe me; I'm not sending you on an errand or something like that. You can do both right now, and I promise on my life I will be here, in my room, when you get back. Will you listen?"

Now she was curious, but still impossibly angry. I could tell she would do as I ask.

I didn't know if she would accept me at the end of her search, though.

Her odd expression plastered firmly on her face, she gives me this odd, jerky nod. It's still comical that she's still on the floor, holding onto my bag with the biggest piece of evidence I had inside.

I pace across the room, slowly seating myself facing the opposite corner of the room (away from Anna) in a small, wooden chair that I sit in when I service my weapons. I positioned myself this way to provide her a bit of comfort; freaky magic man can't get her if he can't see her, right?

Seated as such, I put my head in my hands and give out the few breadcrumbs she needed to figure out my past.

"Anna, the guardsmen that survived the storm onboard the ship your parents… died on. Ask them- no, you'll need to ORDER them to tell you about the wraith, and your parent's actions towards him. After they tell you the story- make sure it's the whole story, magic included- get a description of the man if they didn't give you one. I'll be waiting in here. Also, please leave the bag on the bed- I'll need it when you get back."

I heard the dull *thump* of said bag landing on the bed, followed by the soft clack of the door shutting behind her hurried footsteps.

I sigh, rubbing my temples. Regardless of how this turned out, I need a _drink_.

**Steel and Shadows**

I didn't wait too long; only a half hour or so. Anna had probably grilled it out of the men in ten minutes, but she likely had to process it, taking the rest of the time to do so. The soft, hesitant knock at the door told me she was nervous, at least. Taking a breath, I called out.

"It's open, Anna. I didn't run away."

The door opened quietly and closed just afterwards, her shuffling footsteps betraying her newfound nervousness. I couldn't stay seated like this, not after what she must have heard, so I turned, staying seated on the chair but straddling it now.

Anna was confused. The raw anger and fear was gone, replaced by this look of pure shock and confusion.

Not what I expected. I needed to see what she had heard that caused this.

"Anna, please tell me what they told you, just so I can make sure they didn't exaggerate too badly."

Her look of confusion dimmed a bit, now mixed with a touch of annoyance, but she complied.

"W-well, they told me he came up from the hold during the attack, and started killing all the pirates with knives! Then, he did this trick that pulled the black souls out of the pirates and made them attack the other pirates! After, they stopped him from getting too close to mom and dad, and dad talked to him after he scared a sailor out of the rigging while they set sail."

Greaaaaat. Some hoo-ha had the story correct at heart, but the details wrong.

I made no effort to hide my annoyance when I spoke to Anna. "Well, they got the outcomes right, but not the details. I _threw _the knives, and the 'black souls' were actually just the pirate's shadows. Also, the pirate was trying to unmask me at the time, so turnabout was fair play- I scared him a bit in return. Now, I guess they gave you the description, right?"

Her face was filled with fear again, even as she nodded. I sigh; I'll have to show her the letter, too. Ah, well, it's in the bag too.

Giving her a mirthless smile, I motion to the bag. "Well, if you need to confirm more, look in the bag at my old gear, and read the letter. I'll just wait."

The dice are cast; now I have to see if I rolled a seven…

Or if I get the snake-eyes.

She pulled my mask out first.

Her face went white, and it dropped from nerveless fingers.

I was already halfway to her, moving as fast as I could.

Oh- she wasn't afraid of me in that moment, no.

She was afraid, however, of the length of wood and steel now protruding from her shoulder, courtesy of whoever had shot it through the window.

I had only moments to get to her before whoever it was reloaded.

Only one thing went through my mind, though-

'They missed me. It was aimed at my head, and they missed and hit Anna.'

Although Anna was now too far gone in shock to notice, I could tell my iris had gone white, with the whites darkening into the sparkling black of my name.

They hurt my family.

…

They're already dead; they just haven't stopped breathing yet.

* * *

**A/N: Well, well well! Looks like Noctis got some cleaning to do, hmm? Also, heads-up people; I'm stretching the timeline a bit here. A timeskip is happening soon, a multi-year one, and ends with the coronation. I couldn't get the time between her parent's dying and the coronation right, so I'm just issuing a time-travel retcon in my own mind. I think it was three months, but this story was being written when I was under the impression it was three years.**

**Eh. It is now.**

**Anyway, please read and review! If you stop reading for some reason, please let me know! Even if you never come back, it can help me grow as a writer.**


	4. Chapter 4- And their Consequences

**A/N: Hospital stay and work. No other excuse, but I will be writing again now. Onwards!**

… **Oh, wait!**

**Review response!**

**CocoBuns: How did I think of blink? Good question. I'm a detail oriented person to an almost ridiculous degree; the lack of info on Frozen's magic just irked me to no end. Was it only ice, or could the power be used for something else? I took the fact that Olaf's arms moved on their own (and aren't ice) to mean that the answer was yes. From there, I branched out and made my own theory of magic's abilities based on other Disney movies- not including Brave, but only because I haven't seen it. I have an 8k word length list/spreadsheet detailing the different magic types from cannon Disney plus my own additions. Oddly, it was the movie Maleficent that made it all clear; and only due to how they portray magic as being absolute once cast if **_**intended that way.**_

**Bah, I'm rambling. Blink was my solution to non-word based abilities; in most Disney films, magic is either cast with words and clear intent, or exists in another form already. Elsa and Noctis's powers are in-born, so they react to emotions and subconscious reactions; no verbiage or conscious decision needed.**

**Disney universe powers also seem to be shaped based off personality; note Noctis has a dark past, but with (soon to be revealed) rays of light; the stars in his blackness. Elsa's ice is beautiful and unique, but can be cold and dangerous- just like her.**

**Noctis' Blink and shadow merging is based off vertigo at staring up at the night sky; if you get lost in it, you lose balance and sense of location- you can find yourself a distance from where you were without registering having moved.**

**His shadow warriors are based off something more obvious; fear of unknown monsters in the dark, and the monsters inside of us.**

**Gah, words ran away with me! Well, I'm posting this review response (Thanks CocoBuns!) because it deserves it. Good question deserves a good answer.**

**Steel and Shadows**

_Chapter 4: …And their Consequences._

I rushed Anna through the halls, screaming fit to wake the dead. In a few short seconds, all hell had broken loose; servants were stumbling out of rooms, and decorative armor suits were knocked over in my rush. I almost slammed full-tilt into a sleepy Kai, dressed only in his bedclothes as he stumbled out of his quarters. I barely managed to pull myself up short of ramming into him, skidding to a standstill. When he saw Anna in my arms, he went white as a sheet and moved out of my way, sprinting after me as I resumed my mad dash to the infirmary. I arrived there in short order; word had arrived before me somehow. A group of healers was waiting, and they took Anna from me and immediately started tending to her. Seeing as she was in good hands now, I reversed course and hurried to Elsa's room. I wasn't sprinting this time, but I was looking out all of the windows in an attempt to see if I could spot suspicious movement. I passed Kai in the hallway as I left the infirmary, only nodding to him in passing as I rushed past. I knew spotting the assassin was a long shot, and I wasn't rewarded in my hope; by the time I reached Elsa's chambers, I had seen a total of three owls and two pigeons. No assassins.

Knocking on her door in the rhythm we had established, I let Elsa know that it was me coming in. Quickly, I slide in and close the door behind me. Elsa was lying in the bed, propped up on her elbows and was obviously only half awake. The sight of me so grim-faced (and covered in Anna's blood) brought her to full awareness admirably quickly.

"Cael, what happened?! Are you alright? Wait, blood?!- You're hurt-"

This sudden onslaught of speech was accompanied by a cold breeze sweeping through the room, a clear indicator of her distress. Before I had helped her, it would have been a full blown blizzard, but she was doing better now. I waved her off, interrupting her with no patience for her worries or any formality that might be customary.

"Elsa, I need you to listen and not interrupt, okay? I just took your sister to the infirmary. She has an arrow imbedded in her shoulder; it wasn't life threatening, and the placement was lucky enough that she'll retain full use of her arm after she recovers."

Elsa's face went from concerned to pale and horrified at the news. When she processed that Anna was going to be alright, the cold breeze dissipated and she sagged in visible relief, the ice spreading on the sheets receding. I took note of this, but relegated it to the back of my mid; something more important was coming.

She opened her mouth to ask a question, but I just talked over her attempt at speech, too angry with myself and the other assassin to care.

"Elsa, god damn it, the target was ME! How the hell did someone know who I was and WHERE I WAS?! Shit, it's my fault Anna's hurt. The bastard was aiming for my head! It was only his shitty aim that got Anna shot."

I took a breath here, and Elsa broke in using the brief silence.

"CAEL! Calm down and listen to me! Please, start from the beginning- I can't tell what you're talking about otherwise."

Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and speak. I describe my encounter with Anna that lead to her talking to the guards and coming back to me; in my anger and frustration, I don't think to censor my words- I reveal my secret to Elsa just as I had to Anna. My first indicator to what I had said was the air suddenly becoming cold enough that my skin was covered in frost before I could manifest my powers.

I look up from my mumblings and lock eyes with a disbelieving Elsa, her beautiful blue eyes wide in uncomprehending fright and betrayal.

Seeing this, my mind flits back to my words, and I blanch as I realize that I had revealed something I hadn't meant to. I reach out to Elsa without thinking, extending my arm in a silent plea for understanding.

She recoils as if it was a venomous snake of the worst kind. So great is her shock that the walls frost over, mortar crackling and groaning from the sudden temperature change. She scrambles back further into her bed away from me, holding her arms out as if to ward off an approaching monster.

"G-get BACK! You traitor! You're an assassin, come to kill me! How could I have trusted you?! How could I have listened?!"

Her outburst was in sync with a blast of cold air carrying enough chill that I was forced to pull shadow over my skin or suffer frostbite. Elsa saw this and her fight-or-flight instinct kicked into overdrive.

In Fight.

Before I could do more than thicken my manifested shadow into improvised armor, a sudden barrage of icicles slammed into me. The force was great enough to toss me across the room and pin me to the wall.

The pain in my shoulder from the three foot long ice spike was minor in comparison to the utter sadness I felt; I had a family here, and now…

Well, I HAD a family.

I cast one last pleading look to Elsa, only to see that she had crossed the distance between us with a furious look on her face. I opened my mouth to speak-

**!**

A sudden burning sensation spread from my throat, and I could hardly breathe. I saw a crimson stain spreading across my chest, and only registered the shattered window and arrow protruding from the adjacent wall as an afterthought as my breath gurgled through a rapid welling of blood. Elsa's confused staring at my neck only brought the horror to the forefront of my mind.

My throat had just been torn out by an arrow, a second attempt on my life.

A successful one, if I didn't do something NOW.

In desperation, my own instincts reducing my mind to gibbering cries of "RUNRUNRUN!", I did something I had never done before; I pulled myself into my shadow realm while _also_ performing a Blink without a real destination in mind.

Bad idea.

The blackness started _HOWLING, _the vision I get from within the shadows flickering in and out. When the images were around long enough to comprehend, they were nonsensical; an empty road I had never seen, the inside of a volcano, a vision of a man with no left arm facing down a small teenager.

Over and over I tumbled, no feeling in my body except for a bit of a chill from my shoulder; Elsa's magic must have followed me here somehow. Finally, I managed to dredge up enough willpower to stop the mad spinning and focus on my throat.

In the shadow realm, I have no real body; just my mental self and blackness. Oh, my body does still exist, just in a kind of detached stasis. As such, I can evaluate my wounds and even apply a small measure of improvised aid without worrying about pain or unconsciousness.

The damage wasn't as bad as I expected, but it was still a blow. I hadn't had either of the major blood vessels severed; what a lucky thing the bowman was such a bad shot.

My trachea and voicebox, however, had been torn to ribbons. My windpipe was in the best shape of the two; a mostly clean slice from the arrowhead. I knitted it shut using tendrils of shadow as both needle and thread. Keeping it there while I sleep will be annoying, because I can't truly sleep or it'll disappear, but I'll manage.

My vocal chords, however…

If I had the capability, I would have been hurling curses and destroying the local landscape in frustration and loss.

I would never speak again.

I wouldn't be able to say "Hello! Good Morning!" Or even "Get out of my way, moron!"

I would be mute for life.

Pulling myself together, I use my shadows to bind the ripped tissue together, staunching most of the bleeding and letting the skin and cartilage start to seal and scar. I held myself in the shadowy world for at least a week, pulling more of my power to the surface than was healthy or advisable to sustain myself as I healed.

Judging myself healed as well as I could be without food or sleep, I turn my attention to the world once again. I look around using my senses and breathe a mental sigh of relief; I had ended up near a town.

A port, in fact.

I select an alleyway- deserted, of course- and extrude myself from the black world.

I immediately fall flat on my face- no food or sleep for over a week will do that to you. I manage to knock over a stack of wooden poles, and the sound attracts the attention of a couple of passers-by who panic at seeing my blood-soaked self.

Well, then! I guess that laying there, gasping through a poorly bandaged neck wound was hardly my best first impression- especially considering that I had no clue where I was.

But at least it wouldn't be my last. Exhaustion, hunger, fatigue and mental anguish was held off when I was managing my health crisis; it now hit me full force and I passed out just after seeing a man dressed like a noble barge into the alleyway and lean over me.

The details that stuck with me, even in my fading consciousness were three;

One, he had an ornate tattoo around his right arm, extending up past his elbow.

Two, I could feel the magic in the tattoo; slimy, black and rotting. It brought to mind sewers and plague ridden swamps, corpses left in the summer sun and the foul stench of gangrene.

Three, I could tell by the widening of his eyes and his covetous, greasy smile that he recognized me.

Shit.

**A/N: Sorry for the short chappy, but it was all I could write. Still recovering from my hospital stay, not that work is helping any. Still, I'm back and looking to stay.**


	5. Chapter 5- Non Compos Mentis

**A/N: OH DEAR LORD I HATE BEING INJURED. I can't type well enough to get my usual update a week out, I have to rely on clumsy speech recognition and manual editing with my one good hand. I hope this chapter works out well, as it will be the best quality I can make it until I'm pain and cast-free. The update for my other story was done the same way, but was more than half done which is why you get two this week.**

**Which will mean **_**this**_** is the best quality I can get out for at least another two months, on any of my active stories.**

**I reiterate: I. Hate. Being. Injured.**

**Gah, pity party over! Onwards, to the story!**

**Steel and Shadows**

**Chapter 5: Non Compos Mentis**

I came to consciousness in total darkness, with only the smell of damp and mildew to greet my senses alongside the ache from my savaged throat. I laid there for what could have been a minute, an hour or a week just trying to get my alarm and thoughts into enough order that I didn't completely freak out.

It didn't help that my powers felt weak and sick.

Actually, that did tell me some pertinent information. After I managed to calm myself down and take stock of my surroundings- probably a cell in some local dungeon- I turned my attention to more pressing matters. That being my current physical predicament- I felt weak from hunger and damn thirsty, but okay otherwise…

Oh! Thought too soon on that one- I was, of course, chained to the flat, hard cot I was laid out on.

God damnit, I can't just catch a break, can I?

Anyway, after I got all that sorted out was when I groped into my mind, seeking out my powers. When they came to my call, sluggish and weak, it told me that it could only be a maximum of three days I had been here, otherwise they would have recovered from the stresses I had put them under by then.

So, to sum it up, I had been taken by a man that at least recognized my face- not good.

I was locked up, my powers too weak to free me with them alone- also not of the good.

There was a knock at the door, and as I watched the man I remembered enter, I knew that I was about to enter into a much worse situation than I had previously been in.

The man circled the room for a bit, putting on an air of superiority and disdain and generally making an ass out of himself. Finally, he stopped his pacing and focused on me. As he began speaking, a small smirk came across his face.

"Well, if it isn't the famous Black Wraith himself! You know, I'm probably your biggest fan. So _many_ successful contracts, and all without revealing you had powers! Not a single witness to prove your supernatural powers, until now."

He stalked forwards, bringing his hand into the meager light cast from a torch in the corridor. The tattoos were intricate, bringing to mind Celtic knotwork- except for the fact that it was more angular. Oh, and the fact that the magic felt like a plague, a rotten caress across my senses.

The feel of the foul magic, coupled with my weakness made my gorge rise; before I could stifle the reflex, I promptly ejected the contents of my stomach across the cot and onto the man's boots. He stood there, giving me a gimlet eye before continuing on as if nothing had happened.

"I see you can feel the power in my arm, then. Well, I should say that your reaction isn't really all that unique; when I use it on others, they have that reaction as well. Feh, all you little people are the same. Unable to stand true power." He stood back and paced as he spoke, monologue going strong. I rolled my eyes when his back was turned.. He really was a stereotypical villain, but I had no real out, so I listened and hoped to find a way out. He yammered on for a few minutes, blabbing on about "Lower social classes blah blah" and "The world should be ruled by those of us with VISON!" and so on. Finally he wound down and came closer to my cot again, this time with a more businesslike posture. He rolled up his sleeve, and I started paying more attention.

"Well, I have need of your services, but I don't really want to pay you. Not that you would accept, of course, with that odd notion of _morality_ you have. Nevertheless, I think you will find that the next few years you serve here will have you thinking much differently."

His face contorted with an unhinged grin, all shark and no mirth.

"Yes, I do think you and I will think quite the same thoughts."

His hand darted forwards, the stinking magic rushing into my skull as his fingers clamped onto my scalp.

I started screaming wordlessly. It was a _violation!_

I could feel the… the complete WRONGNESS of the power he was forcing into my mind. It was as if the idea of free will was anathema to the force, and it broke it down and crushed it. I could tell it was after control of my body and powers; I couldn't let it have either, but I didn't have strength enough to resist.

Instead, I pulled my power away from my body, bunching it and compressing it into a steely marble of a prison, locking my conscious mind within it. He could have my de-powered body… for now. But each second of each day, I would be working on breaking free.

And when I did, I would break HIM.

Elsa was distraught. Over what, exactly, was still a mystery. She was in shock from the happenings of the day- first, Anna was injured in an assassination attempt. She couldn't _quite_ bring herself to believe that it wasn't directed at Anna, but…

Well, that was the sticking point. When Noctis had revealed his past, erm, 'occupation' to her, she had reacted badly.

She winced, crossing her arms over her knees in the privacy of her room. Badly was an understatement. In her fear and shock, she had **pinned him to the wall** with her powers! She couldn't help but be horrified at what she had done, while at the same time be a bit proud. She had never meant to use her powers to injure- especially in the wake of Anna's accident- but this had been an instinct, a primal thing that would not be denied.

Him or Her.

She chose herself.

She was, however, a bit proud of the fact that she had used her powers in a controlled manner, even if it _was_ violent.

The matter that troubled her the most, however, still remained. Where had that arrow come from?! Who would assassinate the assassin?! None of it made any sense, and she was barely wrapping her head around the fact that her 'tutor' was, in fact, one of the most famous contract killers in the world. In fact, the only thing keeping her together was the fact that he was gone, and likely for good- that wound hadn't looked good, and that eruption of shadow and light when he disappeared? The damage it dealt to the wall he was on was proof that a human couldn't have survived that level of destruction.

She was only keeping herself together because he was gone, because-

She broke down and finally cried.

'The only person who helped me in the _slightest_ was gone, and it's all my fault! If… if I hadn't just _attacked him_ he might have stayed. He had plenty of chances to kill me or Anna, but he never did. Heck, he had almost complete authority over the situation here!'

This private revelation wasn't as calming as she might have hoped, but it gave her some strength.

'If he _did_ survive, somehow, I hope he'll come back so I can apologize. Well, so Anna AND I can apologize. We both went off the deep end here, didn't we?'

That odd little thought wrung a halfhearted chuckle from the Snow Princess as she slowly rebuilt her worldview for the second time in her life. A few floors away, in the infirmary, Anna was having similar thoughts.

The nurse glared at her disapprovingly as she struggled to sit up with only one arm to support her. Anna just gave her what she privately called her 'Stubborn face', and soon the nurse gave in and helped her sit up. More comfortable now, Anna pulled the wrinkled paper bearing her parent's missive from her pocket and finally read it, equal parts curiosity and dread warring in her mind as she scrunched her nose to read past the 'legalese' as she thought of it. The fact that her parents had _given him_ this position made Anna finally twig to the fact that Noctis had been nothing but open to them, except for his past which was understandable.

'Wow, I really must have made an impression on him to have him tell me this much! I hope he's alright.'

Anna had heard about the altercation in Elsa's room- the stonemasons and maids did need to access her chambers to clean and repair them, after all. She just hoped that the stoic and somewhat lonely presence she had grown used to these past few weeks would re-appear in their lives.

Without knowing it, the two princesses looked out their windows in unison, both thinking over what had happened and letting a small, sad sigh escape.

"I hope he comes back."

**Steel and Shadows**

The first three months were the worst for me, my body being used for menial work as the curse settled in and grew roots. I gathered from the monologue the man spouted that the possession would only last a bit under three years before needing renewed. His gloating and preening as he gleefully told me that he was going to make me kill myself before then almost made me break my silent vigil right then. What I found out about the curse later made me grateful for my self-control. As the unscrupulous assignments came and went, somehow I held onto my morality and sanity as my reputation was tarnished, spit upon and finally vilified as he had me do dirty job after dirty job. I gathered that he was a counselor, a minor noble in other words, for Weseltown as well as a military leader. He used my skills as a springboard- he had me drop his opponents like flies. Soon, his meteoric and suspicious rise came to the attention of the Duke, the man in charge of the council. A shadowy meeting later, and soon I was for _public_ hire through the blasted man- apparently he valued back-stabbing in his peons. Ah, but I'm leaving out some details. My captor's name is apparently Wexret, with no last name that I have heard. He prefers to be called by his title alone, so nobody challenges his authority. When he found out that my possessed body couldn't use my abilities, he was furious and beat me into a pulp- I was in the care of healers for a week. Still, my body had my physical skill and prowess and he put it to use. Months started passing without me realizing, the grind of my bodies' slave like existence becoming a blur I ignored as I examined, clipped and uprooted the black influence upon my mind. I was doing very little- I had learned that if I actively resisted, it would flare and push harder to bury my mind.

So, instead, I started excising it like a surgeon. Removing the edges, slowly and carefully peeling back its influence and keeping it from my mind by occupying it with itself, tangling it up in its own spread so it hindered itself, not me. I got it to the point I was able to start disabling guards on my 'assignments' rather than outright butchering them. Wexret never noticed, as all he cared about was the final result, and the curse was too ingrained to fight that part of the order.

For now, at least.

Finally, one day around two and a half years into my unwilling service, Wexret came into the cell I slept in in a rage. Not at me, but at the Duke for apparently slipping his leash just a bit and acting on an invitation to a coronation to be held in…

I almost lost control of myself at the location's name.

The coronation was to be held in Arendelle, and the Duke was planning on using me as a guard, and to possibly kill the newly crowned Queen if he thought it would weaken them or gain him an advantage. The state of affairs in Weseltown kept Wexret from denying the order, and the Duke knew of my… condition, so his mysterious death wasn't an option, either.

"I HATE it when those puppets dance outside of their strings. Too late to clip them, though. As for you, my little tool, you will accompany the duke on his little expedition to that… _charming_ hole in the ice and do as he says. On the way back from the coronation, however, you are to inform the Duke of your time limit and then either allow one of the guards to kill you or jump overboard and drown yourself."

The sadistic grin was in full force, the evil light of madness shining through his eyes. "I know you are in there, trapped in your own mind, seeing and doing things that would make you sick. So, I hope you drown yourself- it's the most painful way to die of the two, I think."

He gives an evil little chuckle as he walks to the door of the cell before pausing at the entrance. "You have until he departs to train yourself as you see fit. I hope you've made peace with your god! HA!"

He slams the door with a loud thunk, the dim corridor light leaving the room.

For a moment I sat there, mind working furiously as I wrestled with the curse. It was faded now, the intent behind it weaker now that it's origin acknowledged that it was going to end, and fairly soon. I was able to start making real headway. I never noticed my body twitching, shadowy spots appearing and disappearing on my skin as my power fought back with me.


End file.
